


nightlife

by hyunibunni



Series: all the beautiful wicked ones [1]
Category: VICTON (Band)
Genre: Domestic, Fluff, Gay, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light Angst, M/M, Smoking, Vampire Turning, its painful im sorry, life as a vampire, mentions of depression and suicidal thoughts, seungsik is so fucking whipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27020707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyunibunni/pseuds/hyunibunni
Summary: seungwoo is tired of living the night life. seungsik finds a way for them to dance in the sun again.
Relationships: Choi Byungchan/Im Sejun, Han Seungwoo & Kang Seungsik, Han Seungwoo/Kang Seungsik
Series: all the beautiful wicked ones [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958068
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	nightlife

**Author's Note:**

> smth short and sweet for spooky season :) enjoy!  
> thx meenie for editing <3

there is no collection of strung-together words that seungsik can think of that properly describes the ethereal being that is han seungwoo. he’s kind and funny, he’s bold, he’s inquisitive and strong, with a raw beauty unmatched by any other. he is the kind of person that doesn’t exist in real life, any even approaching likeness only seen in fairytales and film. 

and seungsik sometimes thinks himself a fool to be in love with him. 

comparatively, seungsik is not much to look at, he’s a homebody so he doesn’t mind spending all his days reading, sewing, or simply existing, all just because seungwoo is with him. he is content with this life even though to live is to continually be reminded that he is nothing without seungwoo. 

seungsik considers himself privileged to have someone like seungwoo in his life. they weren’t very close when they were turned. close enough to risk their heads sneaking around nighttime alleyways just to share a few fleeting kisses under the moonlight, before they are forced to act like school friends in the day. but seungsik has learned after many decades with seungwoo that you don’t really know someone until you have known them through industrial revolutions and civil movements. until they sob in your arms because they cannot have children or grow old, because they cannot enjoy the feeling of being full after a feast of steak and potatoes, or relish in the company of friends who understand your life. seungsik resents that out of all they can get with their compulsion and sheer charm, this simple wish of seungwoo’s is one he cannot grant.

when they were turned they had been twenty one years old. they were out together in a park, daring to venture into a more open space rather than confinements of four walls or a smelly side street. it had been a lovely night prior to their deaths— seungwoo had snuck out a bottle of wine and seungsik had bread and cheese leftover from dinner. and the couple lounged peacefully under the stars, letting themselves indulge in fantasies of the future, though their time together would be ending soon. they were both to be married before their twenty second birthdays: seungwoo to a young woman of nobility, to have two kids and live high society lives that would move so fast he would forget his time with seungsik ever happened at all. and seungsik to his neighbor, who would likely want too many kids for them to handle, and he would die miserable, no matter how loved, as a father and a husband. he would never forget seungwoo. but their lives were on different paths. 

when they were attacked neither of them knew what to think. to be happy because they had died together, or sad because they were so young. the hunter was cruel and left their bodies mutilated, laying in the grass, bathing in their own blood. 

but the world works in funny ways — the real vampires sought them out within the hour and turned them, so overcome with guilt after watching two innocent boys get killed just to save their skins. they were kind creatures by the names of byungchan and sejun, and they, too, were young, turned ten years ago and still in a prolonged ‘honeymoon phase’ where they just went wherever they wanted and basked in each other’s presence. they helped the new fledglings get their footing in their new lives and then disappeared to continue their life of solitude. seungsik still wishes that they had stayed. 

at first, after the initial shock had worn off, they had been excited and took to the train to start a new adventure. they got lost in the perks of being immortal, they got drunk without care for hangovers or upset stomachs, they fed recklessly from flirty girls who readily threw themselves at the two handsome men who just had to ask for blood to get it. they went anywhere they could find a thrill, spending most of their time in europe until year ten rolled around and seungsik found himself drinking more out of habit and to forget the true torture vampirism brought, than to let loose. he noticed seungwoo acting the same and though they didn’t speak about it, they silently agreed their actions were getting old. 

they ended up in the americas with hopes of just living in peace among humans. it was rather easy, as they couldn’t go out in the day and were so scared of getting found out that they rarely visited public places even at night. their interactions with people were limited, and none had much reason to dislike them. they went on walks every night, which should’ve made finding friends easier, surely. they assumed that they would find other vampires too. they were wrong. 

when they fed they were careful and never killed. they were good neighbors, quiet and absent from the bustle of everyday life. as much as seungsik could survive with only seungwoo by his side for the rest of his life, even he could admit that by year twenty, he was tired, bored, and lonely. he’d hoped that by ditching the alcohol and moving into a nice house they would settle down and live a relatively normal life. days passed and they did nothing new. silent hours were wasted in front of television screens and they had quickly run out of things to talk about. somehow they began to see each other less despite living under the same roof and sleeping in the same bed. he felt less like seungwoo’s partner, and more like his friend and roommate. 

seungwoo tried his best to remain the bright star that seungsik knew, but it was obvious that he was unwell. years twenty-one through twenty-five had been the worst by far. seungwoo fell into a horrible depression. he didn’t feed, he didn’t eat, he could do nothing but sleep the days away until he was so hungry he was close to death. twice he begged seungsik to let him die, two other times seungsik caught him trying to end his life early. by the time year twenty-six had come and gone, seungsik began losing his grip on time. he felt like giving up as well, and maybe it had been seeing his love like that which had finally snapped seungwoo out of it. or maybe it hadn’t been, but something clicked and seungwoo decided they needed to  _ try _ . 

for the first time in their lives, they had dressed up and gone to the cinema. they’d bought popcorn that was covered in hot butter that left a waxy feeling in their mouths. they marveled at the technology of colored films and when they went home they got drunk like irresponsible teens, which in some ways seungsik thought they still were. laughter and music had filled the empty halls of the house that had always felt too big, and by the end of the night they were falling in love all over again. 

they moved into a homey little apartment in new york city. it was a big building in an uptown neighborhood that was so busy it was hard to feel even half as stuck and meaningless as they both had before. they managed to make two friends who lived next door. a newlywed couple, both fresh out of grad school with medical degrees that kept them busy most hours of the day. their outings usually included dinner or clubs, perfect friends for the couple who couldn’t just go out on saturday afternoons to grab lunch without looking like a shifty pair of gangsters or detectives, covered head to toe like it was winter. slowly, but surely, they began to feel relatively normal, finally comfortable with being undead creatures who feasted on blood, finally figuring out how to keep their lives interesting, finally mature, even for their well-worn age. 

after all they have been through, there isn’t anything seungsik won’t do for seungwoo. and there remained the one thing, of course, that seungsik has been hung up on since his first sunrise as a vampire. their inability to step into the sun. the burns are instant and sting like a thousand lashes from the whip, not worth even a second in the warmth. and seungwoo had always loved the sun. at lunch, they had flocked to the grasses of a lush courtyard just outside their school, and every day seungwoo would daydream with his eyes closed, head tilted to the yellow rays. he thrived in the sun as most creatures did, for years mourning its loss. seungsik wishes every day to see seungwoo in the light again. 

so, a week before their anniversary, seungsik slips out while seungwoo is asleep. the only thing keeping him safe is the storm thought it makes his wet hair blow into his eyes and water runs down his back. but seungsik keeps going because he knows there just has to be a potion or spell or  _ something _ that can give them the sun back. even just for a few minutes. 

so, in want for a new pair of fancy silk pajamas, he goes out to buy clothes as his cover, but makes a stop at a shop tucked into a little downtown nook between two restaurants. it’s dark and musty, unwelcoming even, and seungsik immediately wants to leave. but he forces himself in because of all places in the city this  _ feels  _ strangely like the place to solve his problems. as he walks around quietly he muses on whether a vampire’s intuition was a thing, in hopes something from the shelves will jump out at him as especially promising. 

“what you’re looking for isn’t on any shelf, dear,” a woman calls. seungsik spins around, startled as he hadn't seen a store attendant when he came in. she is very tall and lanky, wearing a black dress down to her shins, with her hair up in a tight bun. 

“i’m sorry?” 

“they’re special order,” she continues, walking around the counter towards him, “it’ll just cost a little extra for the magic bit but otherwise it’ll be the same price as any other ring or necklace you can find in here. you’ve come to the right place, we have the best price in the city.” she walks past him and stops at a door marked ‘employee’s only’. 

“i’m sorry,” seungsik shakes his head, “i don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“a sun stone? you  _ are _ a vampire, are you not?” 

seungsik’s eyes widen, “how did you…?”

“i’m a witch, dear, i know a vampire coming in for his first sun stone when i see one,” she smiles sweetly and opens the door. “now on go in and we’ll get you sorted with your jewelry.” seungsik hesitates for a moment but ultimately does as is asked. the woman gestures to the lounge chair as she goes around the glass showcase desk to the office chair on the other side. 

“i’ve never heard of sun stones before,” seungsik tells her nervously, “they give us the ability to walk in the sun?” 

“yes, dear. as long as it’s on your person the magic in the stone will protect you,” she takes out a long, thin tray filled with different colored stones in all different sizes, “they naturally come in red and black, but over the past few years us normal witches have been able to get the manmade ones. tested of course, you’ll be completely safe even if you don’t go with a natural stone,” she puts the tray to the side and pulls out another with all different kinds of silver and gold jewelry. simple bands, ornate lockets, chunky rings, delicate chains, “we can offer you any of these styles. once you pick one, you’ll have to give me a week to make the jewelry.” she grins proudly, “i hand-make every one to order. anything catch your eye?” 

seungsik immediately points to a smooth, deep emerald stone, “for my partner,” he says absently, “he looks lovely in green.” 

“handsome, is he?” seungsik looks up, realizing now what he’d said. for a moment he’s baffled that she doesn’t throw him out and his shock is obvious because the witch laughs, “oh dear, don’t take offense by my observation, but you two must be old, no?” 

“only ninety-five,” seungsik says with a light shake of his head. it is old, yes, but compared to others he and seungwoo were sure to be considered young. 

“still,” the witch smiles gently, “that would make your birth in the twenties. i can’t imagine how long you two have waited to be able to go out in public together as lovers.” 

seungsik takes a moment to imagine it, looking away from the witch, “it’ll be wonderful,” he agrees wistfully. 

the witch watches him for a moment and then claps her hands together, “well, how about the jewelry?” she asks, picking the stone up from the tray and setting it aside. seungsik points to a delicate gold band, as seungwoo already wears many rings, all simple and thin, and complimenting his slim fingers well. for himself, he chooses a navy stone and a thick, ornate, silver ring. the witch was a charming woman, easily luring seungsik into more conversation that had him getting back later than he would’ve liked. however, for the first time he’d spoken to someone about his life as a vampire and while sunhwa was not, she did understand the magical world and was able to empathize.

when the rings are ready a week later, seungsik dashes downstairs, brimming with excitement, to the mailbox to retrieve the package. it’s a bright day, perfect to test it out and seungsik prays with his entire being that it works. he goes back up to the apartment and is lucky that seungwoo is still in his studio so he doesn’t have to worry about snooping. seungsik unwraps his ring, slipping it snug onto his finger as he walks to the living room window. slowly and with his body behind the curtain, seungsik cautiously pulls back the edge of the fabric to let a single strip of light into the room. before he can think about it too much, seungsik sticks his hand out into the sun, face already scrunching in unnecessary anticipation for the pain to hit him. 

when nothing happens seungsik throws the whole curtain back and lets the sun hit his skin full force. he wants to cry. he wants to laugh. and he does. he’s wished for this moment for seventy five years and finally it’s here. he is warm again. it fills his whole body, a beautifully fuzzy feeling of wholeness and humanity. he stands there for a long time, lips spread in a wide grin under the disbelieving cover of his hands. tears well in his eyes and though he wishes they wouldn’t, they begin to roll down his cheeks. 

he takes a deep breath, willing his eyes dry so he can give seungwoo the same gift and not look so frankly upset. once he is finally composed he takes the little velvet box to the studio, knocking twice before opening the door. seungwoo sits off to the left, observing his latest painting from his stool as he enjoys a cigarette. seungsik comes up behind him,

“it’s beautiful,” he says, admiring the well placed, brightly saturated colors of his fruit bowl still-life. 

“thank you,” seungwoo hums, leaning back into seungsik’s chest as he takes a brief drag, “did you need something?” he asks, straining his neck to look up. 

“i have a present for you.” 

“what?” seungsik walks around the chair to face him and opens the small velvet box to reveal his ring, “oh, wow,” seungwoo whispers, very obviously taken just by the design alone. he watches seungsik slip the ring on one of the few fingers is not already adorned in twisted ivory and gold. once it is snug in place he wiggles his fingers back and forth, feeling out the new addition to his collection. seungsik laughs lightly and leans forward to kiss his cheek before going to the window in the center of the room and ripping the curtains apart.

“seungsik!” seungwoo yells, scrambling up from his chair to get out of the way of the light. seungsik just turns with a beaming smile,

“come here,” he coaxes, watching in amusement as seungwoo’s face goes through a series of emotions from scared, to worried, to shocked, and finally, confused. slowly, seungwoo taps his out cigarette on the ashtray and makes his way towards the corner of the sun square on the floor. seungsik extends his hand, “i promise you won’t die,” he laughs, “just come here.” 

seungwoo reaches a tentative hand out, slipping his fingers into seungsik’s palm. his eyes widen when he doesn’t find himself hissing in pain, “how…?”

“the ring,” seungsik tells him, pulling him gently to ease him further into the sun, “i found a witch. no imposter, a real one who is aware of us, vampires, and she made these rings,” he rambles, the words tumbling from his lips as if he is a children’s doll with no off switch. “the stone has magic in it so as long as you have it on you’re fine! i guess sun stones have been around since the early two thousands but we had no idea.” seungwoo, a little late to process all of this, just stares at him with his mouth hanging open. 

“oh my days,” he finally whispers, directing his gaze up to the bright world out the window, “this is incredible!” he breaks out into a smile. a new one with a hint of familiarity. one that seungsik hasn’t seen since before they were turned. he knows that feeling, he feels it too. 

seungsik drapes his arms around seungwoo’s neck, “happy anniversary, love,” he murmurs, before stealing a kiss that is supposed to be quick, as he assumes seungwoo wants to go do something now that they can. but seungwoo kisses him ten times over, all over his cheeks and the back of his hands, now taking his turn to ramble on with thank you’s and disbelief. seungsik just smiles through it all. he gets lost in the vision of seungwoo in the sun once again. his skin glows, maybe one day he’ll be a healthy tan again, and his eyes glitter like dewy grass on an early morning. he is alive. he is beautiful. 

“do you have anything planned for the day?” seungsik asks when he was finally able to get a word in. 

“not anymore!” seungwoo exclaims, scurrying around his work area to clean up his paints, “oh my days, sikie!” he gushes, “can you just imagine how much better it will be to paint with natural light? and i’ve always wanted to take a canvas down to the park and paint the pond there— oh! i bet its  _ stunning _ during the day!” 

“the water’s probably crystal clear,” seungsik agrees, daydreaming of bright blues and vibrant greens. 

seungsik takes seungwoo’s hand as they step out onto the street, reassuring him with a squeeze that they are fine. seungwoo’s eyes are wide and his head is on a swivel, taking all of it in with child-like wonder. seungsik’s heart swells with joy and he is equally as overcome with admiration for the world and all its beauty. the couple walks to the park, admiring the water and flowers, finding joy in watching the children run and play. then, with no destination in mind, they walk, and walk, and walk. just seungsik, seungwoo, and the sun. 


End file.
